From The Center for Conscious Leadership
March 2026 Newsletter

A Note From Our Founder

Ten years ago, I was fired.

Not because I wasn't performing, but because people didn't trust me. 

I was floundering in a new role, drowning in stress at home, and getting four hours of sleep a night if I was lucky. The dissonance between what I was saying (I’m fine! Just fine! Thanks for asking!!!!) and what people were sensing was profound. 

And because of the immense stress, I couldn't access my best, most trustworthy, high-performing, relational, and rational self. I was leading from protection, not connection.

My leaders and coaches couldn't name it. They didn't have language for Protection Patterns, or an understanding of what was happening under the surface. They just knew something was off. 

And in the binary they were left with—keep her or let her go? Is this worth it?—they let me go.

I wonder sometimes what would have happened if they'd had the language to see that I wasn't resistant because I was defiant and uncooperative. I was resistant because I was drowning and didn’t have the space to add just one more thing! to my list.

Thankfully, over the next few years, I had leaders who could hold my humanity alongside my stress. They worked with me as a person, not just my Protection Patterns. They helped me see what I couldn't see alone, and helped me hold what I couldn’t hold alone. 

They helped me come back to my best self.

It's been ten years since then. I've studied everything that shapes humans inside systems—neuroscience and trauma, sociology and power, systems and organizational design—and along the way, began to understand how humans can reshape systems to work for us humans. 

And we've used that to build our Trauma-Informed Leadership program: one that supports leaders managing crises and navigating complexity while trying to retain their humanity.

We've seen transformations in leaders across education, government, public health, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations. The program announcement is coming soon.

In the meantime, I'm hosting a free webinar where I'll dive deeper into Protection Patterns—how to identify yours, work with them, and make sure you're accessing your best self instead of leading from stress.

Sign up for the free webinar here.

Here's to seeing what we couldn't see before, and being who we couldn’t be before,

Sharon

This Month’s Featured Piece

What Trauma-Informed Leadership Actually Means

It's not therapy at work. Trauma-informed leadership is a framework for understanding how humans actually function under pressure—and designing the conditions for them to regulate, relate, and perform without burning out. Here's what it looks like in practice. 

→ Read the article (5 min)

Also This Month

Institutionalizing Humanity: How Systems Can Heal What Leadership Alone Cannot

Even the most empathetic leader can’t counteract systems built on urgency, control, and fear. Real change happens when care, dignity, and trust are designed into the way an organization actually operates.

→ Read the article (5 min)

On Sharon’s Nightstand

Healing Through the Vagus Nerve by Maria Liatis and Amanda Armstrong

“There's been a lot of noise lately about polyvagal theory being "debunked." I picked up Healing Through the Vagus Nerve to go back to basics and to [...] what hasn't changed: Our nervous systems absolutely respond to safety and threat. Co-regulation is real. The felt sense of "I'm okay" or "I'm not okay" still runs the show underneath your cognition. And the tools—breathwork, movement, connection, practices that shift your physiological state—still work. Science evolves. So should we. And in the meantime, we keep working with what we know—while staying curious about what we're still learning.  - Sharon Podobnik

Have you read Healing Through the Vagus Nerve? Join the conversation there.

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On the Horizon

• Trauma-Informed Leadership Program | ENROLLMENT IS NOW OPEN: In our 8-week transformational online program you’ll learn how to recognize stress, dysregulation, and trauma in yourself, the people you work with, and the systems you’re part of, so you can work with your biology instead of against it. Spots are limited. Secure your seat now.

• APRIL 2 | 12p EST | FREE WEBINAR | Protection Patterns: Why High-Performing Leaders Struggle (And What To Do About It). For high-performing leaders, it can feel embarrassing to struggle with defensiveness, procrastination, and people-pleasing. Join Sharon to transform shame into choice, agency, and dignity. Claim your spot.

• APRIL 15 | Holding the Tension of Both/And with Sharon & Suzanne. Explore big questions in a supportive, woman-centered environment. April will explore the concept of grounded agility—and how to embrace steadfast flexibility. Virtual. Register here.

• Now booking for Q3! If your organization is ready for coaching, workshops, or trauma-informed leadership, we’d love to hear what you’re working on—let's talk.

Too many of us secretly believe we’re the only one who hasn’t quite figured it out.

One incredible side effect of doing this work together is realizing how many brilliant, caring people are asking the exact same questions.

You’re not alone.

Stay bold and brave,